Dawn of War 2

[Octopod]

Thinking about picking up a strategy game and this is a genre I have never really got into. I am thinking about picking up DoW2. Does anyone have anything good to say about this game?

[Niode]

It's not really an RTS. It's got more in common with Warcraft 3 than Red Alert 3 for example. If you like the Company of Heroes games then you will probably enjoy DoW2, it's made by the same company.

[Pulsar_t]

I was addicted on the first game and its expansions but I gave the sequel a miss. Warhammer fatigue maybe? You should look into Supreme Commander 2 it's more forgiving than its predecessor.

[Octopod]

Is that a mech game?

[Pulsar_t]

You control plenty of robots of various shapes and sizes in it, and by plenty I mean in the hundreds if not thousands. It's the exact opposite to DOW: You "macromanage" the battlefield and have no time to care for individual units, as you will spend much of your time managing resource-gathering and sending out wave after wave of offensive formations.

[Octopod]

What about the Total War games? I have not played any of them either.

[Pulsar_t]

The Total War games are among the finest in the genre. You get to manage the world map ala Civilization but there's also the more tactical mode where you control the battlefield in real-time, which is full of intricate touches like enemy morale and various formations which actually affect the outcome.

<- Rome: Total War review
<- Empire: Total War review

You can get the Rome Total War Anthology as it's good value, or you can skip all the predecessors and get ETW from the get-go.

[durkada]

It's not really an RTS. It's got more in common with Warcraft 3 than Red Alert 3 for example. If you like the Company of Heroes games then you will probably enjoy DoW2, it's made by the same company.

Ok. That made my head pop. How is DoW2 not really an RTS? The fact that it is in the same vein as Warcraft 3 would make it an RTS in my mind. I mean, I thought Warcraft 3 called itself an RTS on the box?

What is it, then?

[Niode]

It's not really an RTS. It's got more in common with Warcraft 3 than Red Alert 3 for example. If you like the Company of Heroes games then you will probably enjoy DoW2, it's made by the same company.

Ok. That made my head pop. How is DoW2 not really an RTS? The fact that it is in the same vein as Warcraft 3 would make it an RTS in my mind. I mean, I thought Warcraft 3 called itself an RTS on the box?

What is it, then?

I'm generalising RTS, the COH and DOW games aren't your typical RTS games, they've got more in common with something like Commandos than a micro-managing RTS like Red Alert or Starcraft. They (COH/DOW) put way more focus on the management of single units or small groups of units than building huge bases and churning out wave after wave of units. It's still RTS, but if you like the micromanagement of RTS games like World in Conflict or Red Alert or Supreme Commander, you aren't necessarily going to enjoy the COH/DOW games. I personally prefer COH and DOW. They're my favourite RTS games of all time (aside from Age of Empires 2).

sorry if this post doesn't make sense, I've had quite a lot to drink tonight and have found myself with nothing better to do than post on a forum. sorry.